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Monday, January 17, 2011

DearREADERS,
Color me happy with my assignment to interview D. Joshua Taylor about his upcoming RootsTech Conference presentations. Josh is one of the bright, young visionaries in the world of genealogy. His work exhibits idealism and creativity, and his training is rooted in sound genealogical research principles.

Josh Taylor

D. Joshua Taylor "Josh" is a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher. Josh is the Director of Education and Programs at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, Massachusetts. A frequent speaker at genealogical societies, libraries, and other organizations, his previous speaking engagements include GENTECH, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Annual Conferences, the National Genealogical Society Annual Conference, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. He has authored articles in American Ancestors, UGA Crossroads, FGS Forum, Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly, and New England Ancestors, and was a columnist for Digital Genealogist.

He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Awards from the Utah Genealogical Association and the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society, and an Award of Merit from the Federation of Genealogical Societies.

Active in the genealogical community, Josh is the Vice President of Administration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and national co-chair of the FGS/ISGGS 2011 National Conference. He was formerly a member of the FGS Board of Directors where he served as Parliamentarian and oversaw the Bylaws and Outreach Committees. He holds an MLS and MA in History from Simmons College. Josh was also a featured genealogist on the series premiere ofNBCS’s Who Do You Think You Are? with actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

QUESTION: Josh, I see you’ll be speaking at 9:45am on Saturday, February 12th at the 2011 RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.Can you share a tidbit from your "What Can I Find Online: An Interactive Case Study presentation" with my DearREADERS?

ANSWER: Certainly! “What Can I Find Online” is meant to gather technology users and creators in a setting where both can discover (and observe) each other’s habits. The presentation will cover everything from genealogists’ use of key websites such as FamilySearch and Ancestry.com, general internet searches on Google and everything in between as the audience determines which avenues to pursue to solve the case.

Active participation is required! The goal is to learn from one another during the session and get a chance to practice some of the techniques you picked up from RootsTech. QUESTION: RootsTech officials have also scheduled you to speak on the following topics.

Software Forecast: What Genealogists Need for the Future

The Power of PDF: Tools for Every Genealogist

ANSWER:Thanks! Again, each presentation is geared towards genealogists AND technology developers. The software forecast is a “pie-in-the-sky” look at what we CAN have.

REGISTRATIONRegister for the 2011 RootsTech Conference here. It will be held the 10-12 of February at the Salt Palace Convention Center. Ol' Myrt looks forward to seeing you all there!

My best advice is to take every opportunity to attend Josh’s classes, and you’ll be inspired by possibilities not previously considered. Ideas Josh will develop may cause the breakthrough your family history research needs.